Manufacturing Curved Timber

Creating curved timber is a complex process and often difficult to effectively achieve on a commercial scale. Our Curved Timber Battens allow designers to create buildable, affordable solutions for curved concepts which are an increasingly popular design choice, likely due to the visual appeal and fluidity they bring to a space.

Sculptform curved timber is moulded in our Australian factory by our team of experts. The processes we have adopted to curve our timber products are Steam Bending and Kerfing. 

Photos included in this editorial are of the Sculptform Design Studio, which included many curved timber integrations to achieve its design.

Why is timber able to curve?

Understanding what timber actually is, makes the curving process a lot easier to understand. Timber is made up of millions of fibres that run through its entire length. The fibres are visible by the naked eye and you can also see where fibres have bonded together to create structural integrity. A naturally occurring polymer called lignin is a powerful natural glue which bonds the timber fibres together. When timber is exposed to our curving processes the lignin is compromised and curving can occur.

Steam Bending

Suitable for interiors only, our process takes the traditional art of steam bending timber and applies it on a larger commercial scale. Through a complex process involving steam and heat, we can form spotted gum and white oak timber (in block and dome profiles) to the required shape without resistance. 

This method creates seamless transitions between walls and ceilings and allows designers to create their curving vision unrestricted. While steam-bent timber lessens the number of joins required for a curved application, some joins are still required. Check out our join line options.

You can cut a curved shape out of a piece of timber, but that compromises the strength and durability of the timber and produces waste. The benefit of steam bending is that it manipulates the wood so that the grain continuously flows with the curve across the whole length. This is especially important on structural elements, where the curved piece is going to be supporting weight and taking stress.

While the steam bending and cooling process ensure the timber will hold the curve, grain and density variations can affect the overall curve. This is unavoidable due to the natural variation in timber.

For more technical information on steam-bent timber, go to our Curved Timber Technical Info page.

Kerfing

When a sawblade cuts into a piece of timber this is called a kerf. Many of these kerf cuts along a timber batten provides the timber with more malleability so that it can be curved, this is what is referred to as kerfing.

The process of kerfing involves cutting along a timber batten with a saw blade multiple times in very close proximity. Each cut is the width of the saw blade and its teeth, so a very narrow cut

Kerfed pieces of timber are suitable for interiors and sheltered exteriors. Timber species that we can curve through our kerfing method include blackbutt, spotted gum, white oak and vic ash in block profiles. 

For more information on kerfed timber, go to our Curved Timber Technical Info page.

There are many factors and pro’s and con’s for both steam-bending and kerfing timber. So to find out which option is best for your curved timber concept, visit our editorial; how to choose the best curved timber option for your application.